Greatest PPV...EVER

[Guest redbaron51]

this is probably the best pay per view since Jericho won the title last year at Armeggedon

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

It was certainly the greatest PPV since Wrestlemania X-7 and the best Summerslam I've ever seen. And yes, I thought that there were three matches worthy of a **** rating. You don't have to agree with me. There is no iron-clad rating system: When Scott Keith gave three matches from WCW Spring Stampede '99 the magical **** rating, I thought he was nuts. It would be nice to get some detailed feedback, especially since I went into painstaking detail to describe why exactly I thought it was one of the best ppvs of all time. Trying to talk about wrestling in a logical manner is damn frustrating. Feel my pain

[Guest Mystery Eskimo]

Everyone's perception of SS is being skewed by the past months of total crap. It was a pretty good show, but not the best SS and certainly not best PPV ever; thats just absurd.

 

HHH/HBK is only *** in my opinion.

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

Perhaps, but if it matters, I have actually really enjoyed the last month or so of television.

 

And yes, I honestly believe that it was the best Summerslam ever. Name a better one...

[Guest kingkamala]

Was Summerslam last night a good PPV? Hell yeah

Was it the best PPV of the year? Probably

Was it the best Summerslam of all time? Maybe

Was it the best PPV of all time?.....no, but I do think it was the best WWF PPV since Summerslam '01 and just blows anything past Royal Rumble '02 out of the water

[Guest converge241]

I believe this was the best all around, there may be others that feel better because of certain matches, but this was the best money Ive ever spent on a PPV.

 

the order i rank the matches (best - worst)

 

1. HBK - HHH

2. RVD - Benoit

3. Rock- Brock

4. Misterio - Angle

5. Edge - Eddy

6. Test - Taker

7. Bookdust - UnAmericans

8. Jericho - Flair

 

*Jericho writes angry commentary on his site upon reading*

 

the Jericho - Flair was a big letdown, especially with the ending they picked...Flair is my all time favorite, but he should not have went over.

[Guest Mystery Eskimo]

I think SS 2001 was better. The Angle-Austin match blew away anything from last nights show.

[Guest converge241]

the screwjob ending of Angle - Austin killed 2001 for me.

[Guest SlowChemical6]

Some people are arguing that you can't objectively rate a pay-per-view if you were there. I would like to argue the opposite. For those of you who watched on pay-per-view, you will never be able to feel that crowd like I did. What you got on pay-per-view was actually a watered-down version of SummerSlam 2002. Just ask Pat Patterson. Being there and watching it at home on your sofa are two very, very different things.

 

The proof that this was an amazing pay-per-view is the fact that some of the people watching it on pay-per-view are calling it the greatest PPV ever, or at least one of the best ever. Now imagine how it felt to be sitting ringside.

 

I stick by my belief that the fans who sit ringside for these events get the true experience, not the smart marks sitting at home.

[Guest CanadianChris]

Some people are arguing that you can't objectively rate a pay-per-view if you were there. I would like to argue the opposite. For those of you who watched on pay-per-view, you will never be able to feel that crowd like I did. What you got on pay-per-view was actually a watered-down version of SummerSlam 2002. Just ask Pat Patterson. Being there and watching it at home on your sofa are two very, very different things.

 

The proof that this was an amazing pay-per-view is the fact that some of the people watching it on pay-per-view are calling it the greatest PPV ever, or at least one of the best ever. Now imagine how it felt to be sitting ringside.

 

I stick by my belief that the fans who sit ringside for these events get the true experience, not the smart marks sitting at home.

That's exactly the problem. The crowd is influencing what you're watching. Whether it influences it in a good or bad way, it's still a bias that prevents you from being objective.

[Guest SlowChemical6]

No...the crowd is A PART of what I am watching. The two should not be separated. The crowd feeds the match and the match feeds the crowd. They are linked.

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

Angle/Austin was a great match, but in the context of the show, it simply didn't elevate the overall ppv past the point of very good, but forgettable. Besides, the next evening the Angle Milk Truck incident completely overshadowed the match and proceeded to get much more coverage and praise from the marks and the WWE. It isn't right, but that is what happened. It was a great match, but ultimately deemed superfluous in the grand Angle/Austin rivalry.

 

Besides, as I said before, the Booker/Rock finale was a big letdown for me.

 

HHH/HBK is one for the video collection and one for the ages. Nothing on SS 2001 came close to matching it for pure drama and significance.

 

"This was the best money I've ever spent on a ppv."

 

Ditto, converge, and I ordered Wrestlemania X-7.

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

I wasn't there live and I consider it one of the greatest ppvs ever. Who's influencing me? I appreciate what you are saying CC, but converge has a pretty strong point.

[Guest Mystery Eskimo]

I prefer 2001 because I love Kurt and Austin and really couldn't care less about HBK and HHH, so to me that match was just a pretty good hardcore match. I guess it all comes down to the mark in you in the end.

[Guest CanadianChris]

No...the crowd is A PART of what I am watching. The two should not be separated. The crowd feeds the match and the match feeds the crowd. They are linked.

Sure they should. Two recent examples: Jericho and X-Pac played to a dead crowd at whatever PPV they fought at in 1999, but there's no denying it was a great match. Rock vs. Hogan was around **, even though the crowd was super-hot throughout the entire thing.

 

And HHH-HBK was right around ***.

[Guest SlowChemical6]

I was 2nd row for WrestleMania X-7 as well as ringside for last night's SummerSlam, and I can tell you that SummerSlam 2002 was right up there with X-7. It didn't have the venue or the WrestleMania hype, but the matches were fantastic. Nobody was getting up to leave for nachos or the bathroom, because there was no good time to leave. Every single match delivered.

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

CC, but you're assuming there is an absolute ratings system that dictates (or exemplifies) an objective match perspective that effectively nullifies crowd involvement, personal biases and/or intangibles not related specifically to what happens inside the ring. Unfortunately, such a rating system cannot and will not ever exist. All ratings are subjective. Period.

 

"And HBK/HHH was right around ***."

 

Nope, ****1/2. Prove me wrong

[Guest CanadianChris]

Oooh, a challenge...

 

Starting from a five-star base...

 

Minus * for HHH totally not keeping up his end of the match.

 

Minus 1/2* for Shawn going all I HAVE THE POWER! on us at the ten-minute mark and deciding to no-sell the back totally after acting like a near-cripple.

 

Minus 1/4* for the rollup finish to an "unsanctioned" match.

 

Minus 1/2* for HBK going over in a one-shot deal.

 

Plus 1/2* for HBK being God.

 

So, I have it at ***1/4.

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

Man, that's a very precise rating system. I respect that, but I just can't watch wrestling with that sort of criteria.

 

Automatic **** for Shawn risking his goddamn life in the match, despite being content in his personal life (well, that's what we've been hearing) and swearing not to return to the ring as HBK.

 

1/2* for HHH's back work, including those cringe-inducing sideslams onto the chair.

 

Final tally: HBK ****, HHH 1/2*.

 

Your winner: HBK.

[Guest CanadianChris]

Final tally: HBK ****, HHH 1/2*.

 

Your winner: HBK.

Well, that's just not a fair fight.

 

FWIW, I have new respect for HBK after seeing him pull out that match. hell, I thought it was going to be closer to *...who knew?

[Guest godthedog]

Mysterio/Angle: ****.

 

Flair/Jericho: ***.

 

Edge/Guerrero: ***3/4.

 

Un-Americans vs. Booker/Goldust: ***

 

RVD/Benoit: ****1/4

 

Test/Undertaker: **.

 

HBK/HHH: ****1/2. My personal MOTY.

 

Brock/Rock: ***3/4.

 

I'm ready for the feedback...

 

mysterio/angle: eh...***1/4. some great-looking stuff and a wonderful FAST start, but angle seemed to be trying to tell a story while mysterio was trying to wrestle a standard cruiserweight match. mysterio just doesn't make a really sympathetic babyface, his style is too much "okay, i'll act hurt for a little while till you make a mistake, then you act hurt." the whole thing also looked a little too crisp & pre-planned.

 

flair/jericho: i'd give it ***1/2, mostly for the old school flavor of it all. flair is a great contrast to mysterio as a babyface: when he's on defense you really believe he's in danger, & when he makes a comeback it looks like he's really trying hard to fight through the pain & gain the advantage. best example is the sequence where jericho kept knocking flair down, but flair just kept getting back up & chopping him, refusing to stay down. i got chills watching it. and i love the ending: flair could go over anybody and i'd be a happy man.

 

edge/guerrero: no arguments here.

 

unamericans/goldust & booker t: just shy of ****. i'm a sucker for the RnR tag formula, & this one followed that formula pretty flawlessly.

 

rvd/benoit: yeah, probably between **** and ****1/4.

 

test/undertaker: * or *1/2. not that terrible, but NONE of it impressed me in the least.

 

hhh/hbk: i'd have given it ****1/2 had it been faster. especially at the beginning.

 

rock/brock: no arguments here.

 

there you go--feedback.

[Guest godthedog]

1/2* for HHH's back work, including those cringe-inducing sideslams onto the chair.

 

Final tally: HBK ****, HHH 1/2*.

what about the vintage triple h 2000 bumping and selling? he was flying around the ring like a madman and doing long-term selling like he was in the 2000 rumble.

[Guest Brian]

Didn't Nasseu die off for the Edge/Eddie match?

[Guest HartFan86]

This year's Summerslam was better than last year or the year before, but I liked those as well.

 

Last year: The main event sucked (Rock vs. Booker), but everything was consistently good sans the tag team cage match. Solid, but other than the World Title match, a somewhat unspectacular ppv.

 

2000: Great TLC, Intercontinental and World Title matches. SHITTY undercard. RTC/Too Cool? Road Dogg/X-Pac? Friggin' Jerry Lawler vs. Tazz?

 

Now, if you reason that the undercard last night was incredibly consistant and entertaining (Mysterio/Angle, Eddie/Edge, RVD/Benoit) and that the "subpar" matches still exceeded expectation (Test/Undertaker), then using that logic, last night had a much more well-rounded under-mid card than 2000 or 2001. As for the main events, I won't argue about the HBK/HHH match. You either loved it or hated it based on personal biases. I would personally put it above ****, but that's me. As for the title match, the crowd added a lot to an already good contest. At least a ***1/2 match; better than last year, on par with 2000.

 

Final thoughts: If one were to view a wrestling show as a scientific and logical entity, deconstructing match ratings and using those alone to infallibly prove a show's dominance, then, yes, perhaps one could argue that 2001 had more higher-ranked matches and 2000 had two blowaway matches that stack up favorably against anything the WWE's ever done. However, to me what holds more water is looking at how each match exists on its own terms (ie, can each match be admired on its own terms and then looked at as a building block and primary factor in the show's overall worth?). Summerslam 2001 was good, but due to the shitty storyline vacuum the whole show seemed to be sucked into, much it was lost on me and I have a difficult time watching it today (except for the Angle/Austin match, which is still superlative). Rewind to Summerslam 2000. In an incredible year that boasted some of my favorite all-time shows (RR, Backlash, Wrestlemania), Summerslam had two matches that prevented it from mediocrity: TLC and Benoit/Jericho. In much the same fashion as WMX was saved by two great matches, Summerslam just seemed to lack that big-show flavor, and similarly, I cannot watch much of the midcard from WMX (well, of course with one very notable exception).

 

I'm being verbose as all hell, but with such a damn subjective topic, I feel like I owe a detailed explanation for my opinion. Angle/Mysterio provided an incredible base for the show to build off of and if you locked me in a closet with this match, a steel folding chair and 4 hours to kill, I would not get bored with it; pretty high praise, huh? Flair/Jericho was fun for nostalgia purposes and I have no problem with Jericho jobbing. Sorry, but I have a sneaking suspicion he'll get some revenge. Have patience, sports fans. Edge/Guerrero was wonderful and to draw a comparison, I enjoyed it more than Edge's match last year (against Storm in the opener). The tag title match was a serviceable tag match that got the crowd back into it. I like the classic formula. I LOVED RVD/Benoit. It started with the stiff-ass kicks that RVD laced Benoit with; then the breathtaking Northern Lights sequences, which is like one of the coolest wrestling sequences I've ever seen. Brutal action at its best and it looks like this feud isn't over : ). Test/Undertaker was better than anything on the Summerlam 2000 undercard (excluding Shane/Blackman, but that was mid-card anyway; just covering my tracks), and better than it should have been. HBK/HHH was the fourth great match on the card and has more long-term value (for me at least) than TLC 2000 (or, for that matter, Rock/Hogan from Wrestlemania). 'Nuff said. Finally, the main event was significantly aided by a game, unpredictable crowd. Best Summerslam main event since 1999.

 

Final Tally: 5 Great matches, 2 good matches and 1 decent match from Summerslam 2002, plus the best show in a long damn time (perhaps ever as far as I'm concerned), and hopefully a huge momentum boost and sign of excellent things to come from the WWE.

 

Just because, here are my star ratings:

 

Mysterio/Angle: ****.

 

Flair/Jericho: ***.

 

Edge/Guerrero: ***3/4.

 

Un-Americans vs. Booker/Goldust: ***

 

RVD/Benoit: ****1/4

 

Test/Undertaker: **.

 

HBK/HHH: ****1/2. My personal MOTY.

 

Brock/Rock: ***3/4.

 

I'm ready for the feedback...

 

Mysterio/Angle: ****.

 

Eh...I wouldn't go that high. *** is about right. If it was giving more time, it would be ****+

 

Flair/Jericho: ***.

 

Not that high, maybe around **1/2. It was good for what it was, but the wrong man went over and Flair didn't do much other than chops.

 

Brock/Rock: ***3/4.

 

Too high. Brock/Rock was good, but not THAT good. *** seems right.

 

Edge/Guerrero: ***3/4.

 

I'm going with **** on this one. Obviously the finish was just so terrible, but it was a great showcase of pyschology and it was giving enough time to do what it did.

 

Un-Americans vs. Booker/Goldust: ***

 

Eh, I dunno. I didn't like the finish. It should of been a DQ finish with BookerDust winning, but Un-Americans retaining so it wouldn't kill the heat. I'll go with **1/4.

 

RVD/Benoit: ****1/4

 

Would have been ****1/4 if 1. Benoit went over 2. RVD sold & 3. Have the feud contiune. From the looks of it, this was just a filler match cause nothing will be made out of it. Also, RVD doing the crossface just looked horrible. It must have been Rob's off night or something. I'll go with ****.

 

Test/Undertaker: **.

 

Seems about right. Taker had his game on, but Test was WAY off. When Taker does leapfrogs, he's got his game on.

 

HBK/HHH: ****1/2. My personal MOTY.

 

Hmm...this is gunna get discussed for a while. Entertainment wise = *****+. It just doesn't get better than that. As far as match quality, Shawn did stuff last night that was even better when he WAS in tip-top form. I mean, who thought he would do an elbow off the ladder? Who thought he would do a fucking splash thru a table to the outside? I mean, he did everything last night and it amazed the hell out of me. I do agree that if you took off 6-8 minutes, the match would have seemed better. I'd go with about *** for the match itself, but a million more *'s for the markout moments. All in all, I'd say it was ***3/4.

[Guest SuperTonyJaymz]

um i enjoyed the ppv. nuff said. i could care less about star ratings but i liekd it more than the past nwa tna ppv.

 

Overall, 30 bucks that i didnt pay well spent

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

Thanks for the feedback CC, godthedog and BretHart.

 

CC: I was using ridiculous hyperbole in giving HHH only a 1/2*. While HBK was the star attraction, HHH was busy getting back to his 2000 form (nicely pointed out, god). He was the methodical psychopath out to break HBK's back and he was merciless in doing so. However, I still think that if you put HHH with someone other than HBK, we would not have seen such progress. In short, HBK carried it and HHH was an apt foil.

 

god: It seems that we see eye-to-eye on most of the matches. I was simply blown away by the opener. They wasted no time getting right into it and that's always a bonus when ranking show-opening matches. Rey is perhaps one of the greatest performance artists in modern wrestling, Kurt is always there to hold it together. I would have given the tag match a higher ranking, but the ending left me slightly bitter. I know, that's a bit markish.

 

BretHart: Do you still think that Summerslam is the greatest PPV ever? Your star rankings seem to reflect a changing sensibility from last night. Tell me I'm wrong

 

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

Cool sig. TonyJaymz. You're an interesting fella...

[Guest HartFan86]

BretHart: Do you still think that Summerslam is the greatest PPV ever? Your star rankings seem to reflect a changing sensibility from last night. Tell me I'm wrong  

 

Obviously, after the "markout" of it, it was at the time. 24 hours later, it's still no doubt the best PPV of the year and the best PPV since Mania 17, but it's not the greatest. Probably in the Top 10 for Pro Wrestling PPVs and top 5 for WWE PPVS, though.

[Guest CanadianHorseman]

Yes, and unfortunately the internet facilitates the sapping of "the markout" perspective. I'm glad you didn't completely back down from your original comments. You're one of my favorite posters on this board simply because you are one of the most optimistic. When I logged on last night with the overwhelming sensation that this was the greatest PPV I had ever seen, it was nice to see this column up. Keep up the good work.

 

Summerslam 2002, still the greatest PPV I've ever paid money to see.

[Guest HartFan86]

Yes, and unfortunately the internet facilitates the sapping of "the markout" perspective. I'm glad you didn't completely back down from your original comments. You're one of my favorite posters on this board simply because you are one of the most optimistic. When I logged on last night with the overwhelming sensation that this was the greatest PPV I had ever seen, it was nice to see this column up. Keep up the good work.

 

Summerslam 2002, still the greatest PPV I've ever paid money to see.

I appreciate it. If people don't agree, then I love to hear why. That's what is great about wrestling discussion. Everyone has their own opinion and there's no problem discussing over it.

 

It was definately the best PPV I've ever ordered, no doubt.